NEW DELHI - The parents of the Dec 16, 2012 gang rape victim Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who assured them that his government "would do its utmost for the safety and security of women".A statement from the Prime Minister's House said Modi "condoled their loss". He also appreciated the efforts of the rape victim's mother, who now runs the Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust for security and welfare of women.

The gang rape victim, who cannot be named according to Indian law, was referred to by people and the media as 'Nirbhaya', or the brave one. The 23-year-old paramedic student was gang raped by six men, including a juvenile, in a bus Dec 16, 2012 in the national capital. She later succumbed to her fatal injuries in a Singapore hospital. Four accused - Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh - were awarded the death penalty by a court in 2013 which was later upheld by the Delhi High Court. One of the six accused was found dead in a cell in Delhi's Tihar Jail, while the juvenile was sent by the Juvenile Justice Board to a reform home for three years, the maximum term under the juvenile law.